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Beauty and Inspiration

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Cove Cleaning Recap Day 6

I know you're all probably dead tired of cleaning progress photos. I tried to warn you. Oh well. I wasn't kidding when I said it was this or no blogging. And since I need a visual aid to stay motivated, it's this.

Above the sink, it was time to give the old kitchen window sill a good wipe down. This is the best photo I could get because of the bright sunshine.

Well, hello clean!

I thought my poor African violets were as good as dead once our car was totaled and our returning to spruce up/clear out the house was postponed.

Y'know, I don't expect others to take care of my plants. I forget about them half the time, poor things, so asking someone else to is kind of weird for me.

When I was unable to come back for almost 2 months I thought my violets were goners.

I was ecstatic to see the plant had a little gumption. It was a bit dried out, but still thriving.

I've been carefully nursing it back to health and after a week, I've pruned many dried leaves and watched these lovely few plump back to life again. I even see some new growth!

Looks like it'll make it to our new home after all. That makes me smile.

Freshly scrubbed kitchen floor. I feel like tiptoeing, it's so clean!

On to the laundry room. Various random sticky detergent stains on the shelf....

Floor and baseboards in need of a good cleaning.... you get the idea.

After maneuvering the machines around in their impossibly tiny space, the floor beneath and behind them was scrubbed, as well as the baseboards, shelf and walls.

The machines themselves got a good wipe down too. My grandparents would have been so proud of me. Who would've thought all those hours 'volunteering' to detail clean machines at the family laundromat would come in handy one day? Ha!

Dryer lint filter tip: I learned this from my grandparents. Use an old toothbrush, hot water and a bit of dishsoap to scrub your lint screen every few months. Rinse well and dry off with a clean lint free cloth before replacing.

You'll be amazed at the gunk that was unseen on the filter!

Tiny pieces of lint and residue from dryer sheets collect to form a film on the filter that keeps your dryer from performing at it's best. This simple tip will help clothes dry faster and when coupled with routine removal of the little blankets of lint after every load, will prevent your lint trap from becoming a fire hazard.

So fresh and so clean.

Why yes, below the shelf is a swipe of paint that is two shades lighter than the rest of the wall. What's sad is I never noticed it until I took these photos. At least it's clean! :)

Freshly cleaned master door & frame. I was shocked to see the evidence of sticky toddler hands on every door in the house. Not any more!

Turn to the right and here we have freshly scrubbed laundry room doors and frame. I need to pick up a replacement knob for the left door.

Clean baseboard directly across from the dining room.

You can see one of the outlet covers that need to be replaced. All of the light switch and outlet covers are caked with paint. Again, leftover from the previous owners. I'm hoping it will make a huge difference to have unpainted new ones put in.

One more day of cleaning done!

I took today off, so will have nothing to post tomorrow until I get more things done. It's been such a trying week and I'm trying very hard to not be discouraged or overwhelmed by this seemingly impossible task. One step at a time. God has been so good. Look how much has gotten done in a week! It's a miracle, considering that while I clean, a toddler has to be potty trained, fed and entertained, dinner cooked, blogging done and items sorted for the goodwill, trash and 'keepers' piles. Which reminds me, I really need to buckle down and sort like a madwoman.

One of the hardest parts of all this is when I go to bed, I lay awake until nearly 3AM because my mind won't shut off. It's frustrating, but I'm learning little tricks to help me unwind.

I read my Bible.

Listen to soothing music.

Prop my feet up and imagine a relaxing place and consciously push any thoughts that surface about cleaning out of my mind.

I think I'm getting the hang of this. The other night I got to bed by 2AM and I was ecstatic about that :). I'm hoping to shave off more hours in the coming weeks and be back at a decent bed time soon.

If you think of us in the next two weeks, please pray that everything gets done and that we stay sane. I'm growing weary of it all, but trying to remember it's temporary and is all for a reason. Good night, All!